Gordon Bradbery

Born and initially raised in Tamworth, Bradbery moved to Sydney and was schooled at Barnardos Children's Home in Normanhurst between the ages of 10 and 16; an experience Bradbery refers to "being raised at the school of hard knocks". ==Pastoral ministry==

After leaving school at age sixteen, Bradbery trained as a laboratory technician, and in 1971 joined the Uniting Church as a youth and children's welfare worker. After 14 years as a layman, Bradbery was ordained in 1985 into the Uniting Church ministry. The majority of Bradbery's 25 years as an ordained minister was spent at the Wollongong Mission of the Uniting Church, known as the "Church on the Mall" in Crown St, Wollongong. In addition to his ministerial duties, Bradbery was also responsible for the Wollongong Community Care Centre that runs regular welfare programs for the disadvantaged, including a popular soup kitchen. Bradbery also worked actively with various elements of the community, adopting specialist areas in community development and social justice programs, as well as trauma and bereavement counselling. with the chairman, David Jones citing "need to undertake succession planning for Ministry Leadership given the length of time Gordon has been in this placement". There was significant uproar among parts of the Wollongong community as a result of this decision, largely due to Bradbery's extensive community service work. Bradbery remains on the church's list of ordained ministers but, to use the church's terminology, is not in active placement. ==Community service==

Bradbery has held numerous positions outside his church ministry role, including: • Chairperson of Lifeline South Coast for 15 years • Police Chaplain – Wollongong Region for 14 years • Rural Fire Service Chaplain and awarded 10 years service medal • Police Commissioners Citation – Waterfall Train Disaster – for outstanding welfare assistance • Interfaith Dialogue with the Muslim and Buddhist Communities • Mental Health Advocate ==Awards==

In 1996, Bradbery was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, "in recognition of service to the community, particularly for his role during the 1994 Sydney bushfires and the subsequent relief efforts for those affected". In 1996 and again in 2009, Bradbery was awarded Rotary International's Paul Harris Fellowship Medal for outstanding community service. ==Controversies==

Allegations of antisemitism During the ongoing Gaza war, Bradbery spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in Wollongong, which was attended by a crowd of around 500. In a speech, Bradbery stated that he "understood why Hamas did what they did". Hamas was designated as a terrorist group in Australia, and Australia is a strong supporter of Israel, with the two countries having close bilateral relations. Bradbery's comments were strongly condemned by Jewish leaders, with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies claiming that he "sought to justify" the attacks. The board released a statement, which read: When questioned by ABC News, Bradbery defended his comments, stating: However, Bradbery acknowledged that he "perhaps" should have made his condemnation of Hamas clearer. ==References==